Wednesday, October 29, 2025

The Breaker - series. Books 1 - 3:

 


The Breaker


ISBN: 9781656281517

Description:

How do you know the one you love won’t hurt you?
Or even try to kill you?
In many cases … you don’t.
How do we choose our path and purpose in life?
What makes us who we are?
When Seth Egan starts working as a private detective, he knows he’ll make enemies.
It goes with the territory.
As Seth works on a murder case and hunts down the killers, he becomes the target.
Some people have no conscience, shame, empathy, or remorse.
To get their own way, to get what they want, to take everything, they will do anything.
Even murder.
In the end, they will drag you down to hell with them.
Sometimes, our enemies are those closest to us.

Amazon link:


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Bad Blood

ISBN: 9798682203192

Description:

No one is paying Seth Egan for his latest case.

He keeps this one unofficial.

Pro bono publico.

Off the books.

For him, this one is personal.

A matter of bad blood.

A woman with a grudge of her own leads Seth to a place where people vanish without trace.

Money is the motive.

Greed is the motivator.

Scores that can only be settled in blood.

A dark underworld of illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, violence and murder.


Amazon link:

 

https://t.co/e0XiS8crAr?amp=1


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Mall Maze

ISBN: 9798729917235


Description:


Friday the 13th.

Unlucky for many.

What should have been a routine adultery case ends with Seth Egan fighting for his life.

Cut off from the world.

With no way to call for help.

Trapped in a place where the walls are coming down around him.

Seth is running out of places to hide.

As chaos reigns and the city burns … the hunters close in.


Amazon link:
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Themes:
Abuse by proxy, Adultery, C-PTSD, crime, detective, domestic abuse, enabler, flying monkey, gaslighting, hardboiled, heist, infidelity, murder, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, personality disorder, psychopath, sociopath, suspense, thriller, vigilante, violence.

Books available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of my books is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

What’s On?


What’s On?

A Guide to Movies and TV Shows


Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9798342696098

Paperback

ISBN-13: 9798341177307

Kindle

ASIN: B0DJTZ8T58

Back cover description:

What’s On? … is the timeless question we have all asked ourselves almost every day of our lives, as we reach for the remote control and settle in front of the TV screen.

Jack Kost, a life-long movie buff and coffee addict, offers his choice of favorite movie and television masterpieces.

Providing possible answers to the question of What’s On? with over 1,900 titles, from golden oldies and timeless classics, to more recent releases, all meticulously logged and summarized.

An invaluable and collectable go-to source for discovering new favorites and revisiting old ones.

Perfect for film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this guide will spark conversations, bring back memories, and help you navigate the ever-evolving world of screen entertainment.

A wealth of recommendations and insights from a passionate movie buff to enrich your viewing experience, complete with personal reminiscences and nostalgic reflections, told with a world-wise critical eye, sardonic dry wit, a healthy dose of cynicism, biting observations, and a well-founded rant here and there.

Just don’t challenge or get him started on his personal favorites, like The Shining, Point Blank, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Duellists, Romeo Is Bleeding, or The Ninth Configuration. His opinions on these and other iconic titles are as intense and unyielding as the movies themselves.

All compiled by an author who not only watched the movies, but also read the books on which they were based, did his research, drank a lot of coffee in the process, and advocates for the importance and value of reading.

A glimpse into the over-caffeinated mind of a writer with a passion for great stories.

What’s On? is a celebration of the intersection between page and screen, and a reminder that great on-screen adaptations often start with a great book and a strong cup of coffee.

Kick back, grab your coffee, and enjoy the show!

As author Jack Kost says:

“Happy viewing … and do yourself a favor … read the books.”

Slipped Masks:


Slipped Masks

ISBN: 9781719330640

Description:

I can’t call you because if he hears me talking on the phone he’ll hit me again. He scares me. I know sooner or later he’s going to kill me. I’ll text you again when I can. I love you, Casey. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how much I love you. Please come. Please save me …

With only text messages to guide him, Casey Byrne is on the hunt, racing across five states to save his ex-girlfriend, Madison.
Casey loves Madison deeply and wants desperately to save her life and rekindle their relationship.
But the closer he gets to her, the more surreal his journey becomes as the dead bodies pile up in his wake.

Clinical Lycanthropy: the delusion that a human can physically transform into a wolf.


If you were insane, would you know it?


How would you see the world if you were convinced you could transform into a wolf?


The hunter … and the hunted.


Slipped Masks is a dark neo-noir thriller about how the need for love and companionship becomes twisted into obsession, possession, jealousy, violence and murder.

A horrifying portrait of Clinical Lycanthropy.

Amazon link:


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Themes:
Sociopathy, narcissistic abuse, personality disorder, Clinical Lycanthropy, crime, murder.

Book available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of this book is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

Work in progress:


My next books are Triangulation and Stinger.

Books 4 and 5 in The Breaker series.


Set in the year 2001, the story continues from Mall Maze.



Themes:


Crime, detective, hardboiled, heist, murder, narcissism, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, psychopath, sociopath, thriller, vigilante.

 

A percentage from book sales is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.


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The Breaker is an on-going series.


I’m outlining other stand-alone thriller novels.

Several coffee table books on my photography and my wife’s artwork.

A humorous book, based on the antics of our crazy pet Ragdoll cat, entitled: It’s That F****** Cat Again!



Here’s a GIF I made of our cat, settling down for another of his daily naps:

On this day in television history - Pushing Daisies (2008):


Pushing Daisies

Season 2. Episode 5.
Episode entitled: Dim Sum Lose Some.
Released October 29, 2008.
Directed by Lawrence Trilling.
Written by Davey Holmes.
Series created by Bryan Fuller.
Music by Jim Dooley.
Narrated by Jim Dale.


Cast:

Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Field Cate, Stephen Root, Christine Adams, Blake Kushi, Andrea Lui, Alex Miller, Graham Miller, Ping Wu, Ron Yuan, Chao-Li Chi, Teddy Chen Culver, Daeg Faerch, Mae Hi, Allen C. Liu, Jolene Kim, Charles Shen, Atticus Todd, Joel McHale, Kevin Sar, Naoki Sugiura, Maria Zambrana.

On this day in music history - Comalies, by Lacuna Coil (2002):


Comalies

Album by Lacuna Coil,
Released October 29, 2002.

Track list:

Swamped; Heaven's a Lie; Daylight Dancer; Humane; Self Deception; Aeon; Tight Rope; The Ghost Woman and the Hunter; Unspoken; Entwined; The Prophet Said; Angel's Punishment; Comalies.

On this day in movie history - Being John Malkovich (1999):


Being John Malkovich

directed by Spike Jonze,
written by Charlie Kaufman,
was shown in the United States on October 29, 1999.
Music by Carter Burwell.


Cast:

John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Ned Bellamy, Eric Weinstein, Madison Lanc, Octavia Spencer, Mary Kay Place, Orson Bean, Catherine Keener, K.K. Dodds, Reginald C. Hayes, Byrne Piven, Judith Wetzell, John Malkovich, Kevin Carroll, Willie Garson, W. Earl Brown, Charlie Sheen, Gerald Emerick, Bill M. Ryusaki, Carlos Jacott, James Murray, Richard Fancy, Patti Tippo, Daniel Hansen, Mariah O'Brien, Gregory Sporleder, Kelly Teacher, Jacqueline Benoît, William Buck, Christine D. Coleman, Jeanne Diehl, Audrey Gelfund, Yetta Ginsburg, Sylvester Jenkins, Roy C. Johnson, Eddie J. Low, Ralph W. Spaulding, David Wyler, Flori Wyler, Kevin Lee, Marlowe Bassett, Jennifer Canzoneri, Kristie Cordle, Denise Dabrowski, Kristin Condon, Charlene Grimsley, Christine Krejer, Erica Long, Yvonne Montelius, Jessica Neuberger, Sara Rifkin, Elizabeth Rivera, Chelsa Sjostrom, Pamela Hayden, Jayne Hess, Michelle Madden, Greg O'Neill, Neil Ross, Bill Wittman, Lance Bangs, Kacee DeMasi, Andy Dick, Eddie L. Fauria, David Fincher, Jester Hairston, Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson, Zac Hanson, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Isaac, Spike Jonze, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Patrick Ryan, Winona Ryder, Gary Sinise, Trevor Lawrence Young.

On this day in the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek: Voyager (1997)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2004)
Star Trek: Discovery (2017 & 2020)


Star Trek: Voyager
Season 4. Episode 7.
Episode entitled: Scientific Method.
Released October 29, 1997.
Directed by David Livingston.
Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.
Written by Lisa Klink, Sherry Klein, Harry 'Doc' Kloor, Bryan Fuller.
Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.
Music by Jay Chattaway.
Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Jeri Ryan, Rosemary Forsyth, Annette Helde, John Austin, John Copage, Damaris Cordelia, Debbie David, Tarik Ergin, Heather Ferguson, Sylvester Foster, Alicia Lewis, Brita Nowak, Ansuya Rathor, Keith Rayve, Joey Sakata, Richard Sarstedt, Hallie Singleton, Pablo Soriano.


Star Trek: Enterprise
Season 4. Episode 4.
Episode entitled: Borderland.
Released October 29, 2004.
Directed by David Livingston.
Written by Ken LaZebnik.
Created by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga.
Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.
Opening theme song: Faith of the Heart, performed by Russell Watson.
Closing theme: Archer's Theme, by Dennis McCarthy.
Music by Kevin Kiner, Dennis McCarthy.
Cast: Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, Connor Trinneer, Alec Newman, Abby Brammell, Joel West, Paul Wight, Dave Power, J.G. Hertzler, Dayo Ade, Brent Spiner, Gary Kasper, Bobbi Sue Luther, Thom Khoury Williams, Alexandrea Ortiz, Troy Brenna, Fernando Chien, Mark Correy, Vince Deadrick Jr., Vince Deadrick Sr., Kevin Derr, Glen Hambly, Seth Hendrix, Yoshio Iizuka, Andrew Macbeth, David Mattey, Tom McComas, Derek Mears, Dorenda Moore, Tom Morga, Jack Nolan, Laura Renault, Ron Sarchian, Scott L. Schwartz, Tim Sitarz, Paul Sklar, Pablo Soriano, Monika Spruch, Dan Walters, Scott Workman, Nina Xining Zuo.


Star Trek: Discovery
Season 1. Episode 7.
Episode entitled: Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.
Released October 29, 2017.
Directed by David M. Barrett.
Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.
Written by Aron Eli Coleite, Jesse Alexander, Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt, Kirsten Beyer, Sean Cochran.
Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.
Music by Jeff Russo.
Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs, Wilson Cruz, Katherine Barrell, Peter MacNeill, Rainn Wilson, Milton Barnes, Emily Coutts, Jason Deline, Hamza Fouad, Julianne Grossman, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Sara Mitich, Oyin Oladejo, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Izaak Smith, George Alevizos, Julie St-Louis, Nick Stojanovic, Ronald Tang.

Star Trek: Discovery
Season 3. Episode 3.
Episode entitled: People of Earth.
Released October 29, 2020.
Directed by Jonathan Frakes.
Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.
Written by Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt, Sean Cochran, Anthony Maranville, Chris Silvestri, Brandon Schultz.
Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.
Music by Jeff Russo.
Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, David Ajala, Michelle Yeoh, Blu del Barrio, Christopher Heyerdahl, Adil Hussain, Phumzile Sitole, Kenneth Welsh, Emily Coutts, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Oyin Oladejo, Ronnie Rowe, Sara Mitich, Fode Bangoura, Shawn Campbell, Riley Gilchrist, Xavier Lopez, Fabio Tassone, David Benjamin Tomlinson, Avaah Blackwell, Ronald Tang.

On this day in television history - Fallen Angels (1995):


Fallen Angels

Season 2. Episode 4.
Episode entitled: Good Housekeeping.
Released October 29, 1995.
Directed by Michael Lehmann.
Written by Bruno Fischer.
Created by William Horberg.
Based on the short story by Scott McGehee, David Siegel.
Theme music by Peter Bernstein.
Cast: Dana Delany, Benicio Del Toro, Marcia Gay Harden, William Petersen, Adam Baldwin, James Flynn, Matt O'Toole, Zack Phifer, Johanna Went.


Fallen Angels
Season 2. Episode 5.
Episode entitled: Fly Paper.
Released October 29, 1995.
Directed by Tim Hunter.
Written by Donald E. Westlake.
Created by William Horberg.
Based on the short story by Dashiell Hammett.
Theme music by Peter Bernstein.
Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Laura San Giacomo, Peter Berg, Michael Rooker, Arnold Vosloo, Jack Thibeau, Kristin Minter, Darren McGavin, James Rekart, Johanna Went, Miguel Ferrer, Harry Northup.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):


Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 7.
Episode entitled: Evil.
Released October 29, 1959.
Directed by John Cassavetes.
Written by Richard Carr.
Music by Elmer Bernstein.


Cast:

John Cassavetes, Alexander Scourby, Lloyd Corrigan, Elizabeth Patterson, Robert Carricart, Elisha Cook Jr., Charles Thompson, Harry Whisner, Helen Dietrich, Al Bain, John Barton, Arline Bletcher, Danny Borzage, Lovyss Bradley, Gene Coogan, Helen Gereghty, Chester Hayes, Kenner G. Kemp, Walter Lawrence, Carl M. Leviness, Lillian O'Malley, 'Snub' Pollard, Harry Raven, Edwin Rochelle, Bert Spencer, Chalky Williams.

On this day in movie history - Nocturne (1946):


Nocturne

directed by Edwin L. Marin,
written by Jonathan Latimer,
based on a story by Roland Brown and Frank Fenton,
was released in the United States on October 29, 1946.
Music by Leigh Harline.


Cast:

George Raft, Lynn Bari, Virginia Huston, Joseph Pevney, Myrna Dell, Edward Ashley, Walter Sande, Mabel Paige, Bern Hoffman, Queenie Smith, Virginia Keiley, Mack Gray, Lilian Bond, Rudy Robles, Greta Granstedt, Carol Forman, William Challee.

Born on this day – Bob Ross:


Bob Ross


Painter

Art instructor

TV host

October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995

Credits:

Books:

Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (1995); Bob Ross' New Joy of Painting: A Collection of His Favorites (1993); Bob Ross: My First Book of Colors (2020); Bob Ross: My First Book of Nature (2022); Bob Ross: My First Book of Numbers (2023); Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting (2017); Discover The Joy Of Painting With Bob Ross (1998); Experience The Joy of Painting Volume X (2023); Experience the Joy of Painting With Bob Ross (1984); Happy Little Accidents (2017); Karla: or the Weightliftress (2022); Life Lessons from Bob Ross (2020); Lusty Little Things (2018); More Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (1995); Muddled Meanderings in an Outhouse (1972); My Journey Through Country Music (2022); Solitary confinement: Poems (1977); The Bob Ross Coloring Book (2017); The Joy of Painting Volumes 1–30 (1984 –1995); The Official Bob Ross Coloring Book: The Colors of the Four Seasons (2019).

Television:

39 Ways to Calm Down (2020); A Hot Lead (2017); About Mine (2019); Bellator Fighting Championships (2012); Bill Nye the Science Guy (1994); Bob Ross: A Special Tribute (1995); Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed (2021); Bob Ross: The Happy Painter (2011); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2020–2021); Cinemassacre Video (2020); De wereld draait door (2007); Deeply Artificial Trees (2017); Firebringer (2016); Kulturzeit (2020); Live with Kelly and Mark (1991); Nerdrotic (2021); Physics Girl (2015); Sam and Colby: The Paranormal (2022); Sendung ohne Namen (2012); The Adventures of Elmer & Friends (1995); The Best of the Joy of Painting (1991); The Comments Section (2022); The Drunken Peasants (2016); The Joy of Painting (1983–1994); Virtual Peep Show Flat (2019); WatchMojo (2021).

Born on this day – William Harrison (with recommended reading):


William Harrison


Writer

October 29, 1933 – October 22, 2013

Credits:

In a Wild Sanctuary (1975); Rollerball (1975); Savannah Blue (1981); Burton and Speke (1982); Three Hunters (1989); The Blood Latitudes (2000); Black August (2012); Roller Ball Murder (1975); The Buddha in Malibu (1998); Texas Heat (2005); The Mutations of Rollerball (2010); Best SF: 1974 (aka The Year's Best Science Fiction 8) (1975); Roller Ball Murder [short story] (1973).

Movies and television:

A Shining Season (1979); Fighting Mad (1976); Mountains of the Moon (1990); Return to the Arena: The Making of 'Rollerball' (2000); Rollerball (1975 / 2002); The Blue and the Gray (1982); Welcome to Paradox (1998).

Recommended reading:


Roller Ball Murder and Other Stories

by William Harrison.

ISBN-10: 0860078655
ISBN-13: 978-0860078654
Published 1975.

Anthology of short stories.

Contents:

Preface; The Warrior (1971); The Hermit (1968); Down the Blue Hole (1973); Eating It (1970); The Pinball Machines (1968); Roller Ball Murder (1973); The Blurb King (1971); A Cook’s Tale (1966); The Arsons of Desire (1972); The Good Ship Erasmus (1971); Under the House (1972); Nirvana, Götterdämmerung, and the Shot Put (1972); Weatherman: A Theological Narrative (1973).

Description:

Rollerball Murder – the deadly game of the twenty-first century. At a signal forty players run, skate and bike for their lives around a high banked, hardwood track, dodging the careening 25-pound oval balls which scatter and maim and over 300 miles an hour.

No rules, no rest periods, no substitutes. It’s play up or die. Just two hours of brute speed and crowd-pleasing carnage viewed simultaneously the world over on multivision …

Rollerball Murder is one of thirteen tightly written, provocative and, ultimately, unforgettable stories of the past, present and the horrifying future.